Concert week is officially here — and if you’re trying to get your choir performance-ready in a short amount of time, you are not alone. December rehearsals move fast, and every minute counts.
The good news? You don’t need a complete overhaul to make your ensemble sound dramatically better.
In my newest YouTube video, I walk through three high-impact fixes that I use with my own choirs every single concert season. These are simple, musical, and create instant polish — even when time is tight.
👇 Watch the full video here:
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1. Clean Up the Beginning of Every Phrase
The first sound your ensemble makes is powerful. It sets the tone, the tuning, and the overall impression your audience experiences.
In the video, I demonstrate how focusing on:
• unified vowel shape
• clean, lifted breath entries
• intentional onsets
can take a phrase from “fine” to wow in seconds. A clean beginning builds confidence — and it shows.
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2. Match the Endings (Cutoffs Matter More Than You Think)
If you want your choir to sound tight, blended, and in control, fix the ends of phrases.
Misaligned cutoffs are one of the biggest giveaways of an unpolished performance.
I share my favourite rehearsal strategies for:
• coordinating final consonants
• shaping the last vowel beautifully
• cutting off together on the conductor
• creating purposeful, unified endings
Your audience remembers beginnings and endings… so they’re worth your time.
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3. Shape the Dynamics (Beginning, Climax, Ending)
This is one of the most transformative (and most overlooked!) parts of concert prep.
In the video, I break down how to help your choir focus their dynamic shaping around the biggest structural moments of the piece:
🎼 The Beginning
Establish tone, energy, and dynamic intentions right away.
Is it soft and warm? Bright and strong? Make it clear.
🌟 The Climax
Every piece has a high point — a phrase where the music blooms.
Lift the sound, support the breath, and encourage full engagement here.
🎵 The Ending
Bring the piece home with intention.
Whether it fades into nothing or ends triumphantly, a unified finish leaves your audience with a powerful final impression.
Dynamics are one of the easiest ways to create expressive, musical performances with very little rehearsal time.
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Why These Three Fixes Work So Quickly
Because they target the most noticeable parts of your repertoire:
• the entrances
• the exits
• the emotional arc
You get maximum impact with minimal stress. These are my go-to tools for every Advent concert and festival week — and they always, always work.
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Want Ready-to-Teach Choral Resources?
Here are the resources I use in my own classroom to make December rehearsals seamless and musical:
🎄 SAB Christmas Carol Bundle (Visualizers + Rehearsal Tracks)
Perfect for quick learning and last-minute polish.
Includes SAB scores, part-dominant tracks, lyric sheets, and YouTube visualizers.
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Reflection prompts, technique checklists, creative process tasks, and assessments that genuinely improve musicianship.
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Watch the Full Video
These quick tips are easy to use, incredibly effective, and perfect for your next rehearsal. Click below to watch the full breakdown and use these strategies with your choir this week:
👉 3 Tips to Get Your Choir Concert Ready in Under a Week
You and your choir have got this — and your next performance will shine. 💙🎶
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